Back to the Future

Meet the PeopleAnwar, addressing a rally on July 1, says that, as before, the new accusation is designed to blunt his political momentum

For Malaysians, it was a case of déjà vu. On June 28, opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim was accused in a police report of forcing himself sexually on a 23-year-old male aide. Sodomy, even under consensual circumstances, can garner a 20-year prison sentence in Muslim-majority Malaysia. Anwar, a married father of six, denies the allegation, and characterizes the legal action as political retribution for the opposition's breakthrough victories in the general elections in March.

Ten years ago, when Anwar was Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister and a star in the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), the...